Some health systems are encouraging selected emergency room patients who are sick but stable and don't need intensive, round-the-clock care to opt for hospital-level care at home, instead.
Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2017, with some places showing even more dramatic spikes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitals have long been linchpins of rural communities, providing jobs as well as health care. But policy analysts say some hospitals may have to change or close to better serve rural health needs.
Collaboration was key for the 10 emergency rooms that cut opioid prescriptions by 36 percent. Doctors say they now use less addictive medicines to manage pain and have shifted patients' expectations.
A new survey looks at the state of surgery in Africa. We asked Dr. Forster Amponsah-Manu, a general surgeon in Ghana, about his reaction — and his personal experiences.
The blaze broke out in an emergency room in the southeastern town of Miryang. Many of the fatalities were elderly patients and at least one doctor and two nursing staff were also killed.
A gravely ill man arrives at the hospital, alone and unconscious, with a tattoo across his chest: "Do Not Resuscitate." It sparks deep conversation about end-of-life care in America.
Home health firms sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries who have chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won't pay for their services, say advocates for patients.
As hospitals assess their role in the opioid crisis, some are trying to change patient expectations by warning them to expect some pain. Doctors in those hospitals are prescribing fewer opioids.
Hundreds of thousands of people gained health insurance in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In those states, hospitals were less likely to close.
Seven states saw a third or more of their hospitals punished under the federal health law's campaign against hospital-acquired conditions. Critics accuse some unscathed hospitals of gaming the system.
Prepare to joust over bills with hospitals, medical providers and insurers. You can win by being smart and assertive and acting before a test or treatment is administered.
Many surgeons prescribe strong pain medicine without knowing how much their patients actually need. A group of doctors says hospitals should be accountable for patients' long-term opioid use.
The island is a major center for drug and medical device manufacturing. After Hurricane Maria, those products, including small IV bags, are running short throughout the U.S.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage vetoed Medicaid expansion several times before, so advocates took the measure to the ballot box. Now the governor is placing financial conditions on moving ahead.
The city of Baltimore says it needs more money to distribute a lifesaving opioid overdose medication. And a recent study finds the cost of treating overdoses in U.S. hospital ICUs has risen sharply.
On extremely short notice, two hospitals had to evacuate all their patients as wildfires spread rapidly through Santa Rosa, Calif., last Sunday and Monday. One nurse on duty tells her story.
Smoking, drug abuse and diabetes are all modifiable risk factors for stroke. Yet a large study of patients hospitalized for stroke suggests the number of people with these risk factors is rising.
Doctors and emergency officials are still trying to figure out exactly how many people were shot in Las Vegas. The wide range of injuries and the sheer number of people injured are challenges.
MRI and CT scans done at hospitals for outpatients are often too expensive, says the firm, which insures patients in 14 states. The shift in policy won't apply to mammograms or X-rays, Anthem says.
The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills never lost power — but a transformer that drove its air conditioning unit was knocked out, leaving residents vulnerable to the heat and humidity.
Dr. Ruth Berggren spent six days struggling to keep patients alive in in New Orleans' Charity Hospital after Hurricane Katrina hit. She's now caring for evacuees from Hurricane Harvey.
"Law enforcement who come to the hospital for any reason involving patients will be required to check in to the front desk of the hospital," the chief nursing officer says.
In the past few days, Southeast Texas' catastrophic medical operations center has faced challenges like it has never seen before in keeping the health care system functioning.
